Evening storms moving across Orlando area

Highs to be in mid-80s for rest of week

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Doppler radar was lit up Tuesday afternoon with showers and thunderstorms across the Central Florida area.

News 6 chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells said he is tracking east and west coast sea breezes that will later collide and produce more storms.

This evening, winds will get up to 40 mph with higher wind gusts. The storms are moving north-northeast at 10 to 15 mph.


Marion, Volusia and Brevard counties were under a severe thunderstorm warnings early in the evening.

Heavy rain and lightning is expected to continue into Tuesday night.

An area of low pressure will continue to pump tropical moisture into Central Florida for the rest of the week.

The system is moving along the western side of Florida, but it now has less of a chance to develop, hurricane officials said.

"The hurricane center has now lowered the chance for this system to develop into something tropical or subtropical," News 6 meteorologist Troy Bridges said. "Remember, a subtropical storm is a storm that takes on characteristics of both tropical systems and nontropical systems."

The hurricane center said Tuesday that the system has a 10 percent chance of further development over the next five days.

"This does not mean we won’t see lots of rain in the coming days," Bridges said. "We could see more than 8 inches before it’s all said and done across parts of Central Florida."

Orlando has seen 7 inches of rain this year, which is 5.27 inches below normal. There is a deficit of 1.47 inches in Melbourne and 1.80 inches in Sanford. Daytona Beach has a yearly surplus of rain of almost 2 inches.

Melbourne on Monday set a daily record for rainfall at 1.94 inches, besting the 1.77 inches that fell in 1969.

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Orlando saw a high of 76 on Monday. The average high is 88.

"Expect highs in the mid-80s through the end of the week, with rain chances at 70 percent every day," Bridges said. "The greatest threat will be flooding across Central Florida, although we can’t rule out one or two isolated waterspouts."

A tornado briefly touched down Monday on Merritt Island, causing some damage. 

 

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The Florida Division of Emergency Management said if severe weather threatens, residents should follow these safety tips:

  • Ensure your NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio is on and programmed for your area or stay tuned to a trusted local media outlet for the most current weather situation. 
  • Ensure your disaster supply kit is prepared and heed all instructions from local officials. 
  • Know what you would do in the event of a severe thunderstorm or tornado watch or warning. 
  • If a tornado warning is issued for your area seek shelter immediately in an interior room, away from windows.   
  • If thunder roars, go indoors. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning and should seek shelter immediately.
  • Be aware that flash flooding can occur. If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground. Do not wait for instructions to move.
  • Be aware of stream, drainage channels, canyons and areas known to flood suddenly. Flash floods can occur in these areas without typical warnings such as rain clouds or heavy rain. 
  • Never drive through flooded roadways as road beds may be washed out under flood waters, and just one foot of fast-moving flood water can move most cars off the road.

Watch News 6 and stay with ClickOrlando.com for updates.


About the Authors:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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